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Former Calcutta high court justice CS Karnan, the first sitting high court judge to be jailed, finished his six month prison sentence today in Kolkata's presidency prison and was released today, reported the Express.

Karnan, who is 62 years of age, was in good health and spirits at the time of release, but lost almost 15 kg in body weight, a Chennai based advocate who is Karnan's close associate told the Hindustan Times.

Karnan was arrested from Coimbator in Tamil Nadu on 20 June and brought to the Presidency Jail on 21 June, after a 43 day manhunt.

A seven-judge SC bench headed by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) JS Khehar had ordered his arrest on 9 May after he refused to undergo a psychiatric examination. He had, in turn, accused the bench of caste discrimination against him as he was a dalit.

Karnan enroled as an advocate in 1983, with the Tamil Nadu Bar Council, was appointed as a judge of the Madras high court in 2009 and was transferred to the Calcutta HC in February 2016 - a transfer order which he himself stayed but which stay was suspended by the Supreme Court. In March he assumed charge as a judge in the Calcutta HC but since January 2017 he had been arguing against his transfer in a case he filed before the SC.